[IGSMAIL-4962]: IGS 10th Anniversary Symposium and Workshop

[John.Dow at esa.int]

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IGS Electronic Mail      02 Jul 08:26:59 PDT 2004      Message Number 4962
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Author: John M. Dow

Dear Colleagues and Friends of the IGS,

This past March, nearly 300 people gathered to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of
the International GPS Service at a symposium and workshop hosted by the
University of Bern in Switzerland.  Ten years ago, on 1 January 1994 the IGS
began official operations as a recognized and approved service of the
International Association of Geodesy.  In Bern, we recalled many of its
accomplishments since the initial planning of the activity in 1989 and the proof
of concept Test Campaign from June through September of 1992, and noted the
incredible progress to date.  Step by step, the incremental  advances seem small
until one looks back and realizes just how far the IGS has come.  Today the IGS
counts more than 200 contributing organizations in over 80 countries and a
tracking network of 350+ stations, with many supporting regional networks
consisting of stations too numerous to count, all this providing a fundamental
framework for supporting a myriad of activities and applications.

Symposium March 3
-----------------
The Symposium sessions on Wednesday, March 3 were aimed at:

·    celebrating the history, development and accomplishments of the IGS over
the last decade and how this has benefited multi-disciplinary applications
·    providing a view of the evolution and future of Global Navigation Satellite
Systems over the next 10-20 years,  and
·    exploring the future of international cooperation, use of GNSS, and the
evolving role of IGS.

Our invited speakers in the four sessions of the day covered a variety of key
topics:

     - From IAG and IGS, an overview of IGS history, development and IGS
responsibilities and strategic directions
     - A fascinating session on Scientific Research and Applications
?applications to Earth science, atmospheric research, gravity and space missions
and earthquake/deformation science
     - A topic on everyone's mind: the new and evolving  GNSS systems. The
symposium was honoured with the active participation of representatives from
GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo systems and program offices
     - The final session targeted International Cooperation , Education and
Outreach, which are key elements of the IGS strategic objectives. This session
included a view of the future of international GNSS within the framework of the
UN GNSS Action Team, an industry perspective of IGS impact and influence, the
critical need for educating the next generation,  advancements in earthquake
research China, and the importance of incorporating modernised GPS signals as
soon as possible.

The symposium concluded with a Panel Discussion on "Visions for the Future".
This forum provided an hour of lively discussion focussing on the following
questions addressed to the panel:

     What is your vision for the future of GNSS and the breadth of its uses?
     How should IGS evolve in order to meet the operational and scientific
challenges of the future?
     A summary of the day and the panel will be included in the proceedings.


Technical Workshop,  1,2,4 & 5 March , 2004
-------------------------------------------

IGS workshops set the stage for the future directions and developments of the
IGS. Sessions are proposed and the chairs and members draft an "IGS Position
Paper" on a specific topic related to the IGS components: stations, networks,
data centers, analyses, projects or working groups. These are the basis for
recommendations that are brought forward for discussion, adoption, and
subsequent implementation within the IGS. Colleagues come together at IGS
workshops to discuss the position papers and proposed recommendations ? they
consider, debate, argue (sometimes heatedly) on the exact priorities and how to
realise them. At this 10th IGS Workshop there were 10 of these papers to review
(!). This workshop generated numerous recommendations in each session, as the
IGS continues the trend of cooperative improvement. Included below and also in a
separate e-mail are the final recommendations generated from these very
productive session discussions. The final session of the workshop was a summary
session where the session chairs provided final details to the entire group of
attendees.

The sessions of this workshop were:

     - IGS Reference Frame Maintenance
     - Reference Frame Issues
     - Real-time Aspects
     - Network Issues
     - Data Transfer and Data Centers
     - Integrity Monitoring of IGS Products
     - Global Navigation Satellite Systems
     - Precise Orbit Determination
     - Antenna Effects
     - Ground Based Neutral Atmosphere and Ionosphere Sounding

The recommendations and the forthcoming proceedings will provide more detail.
Some of the key issues generating much discussion (which continues) deal with
the reference frame stabilization and improvement; how the IGS moves towards
real-time processes; adoption of absolute antenna calibrations; an approach to
generating a new IGS troposphere product; and positioning the IGS to influence
and integrate future GNSS, as has been demonstrated with GLONASS.

Of Special Note?
----------------
On behalf of the attendees, I wish to extend sincere thanks to our sponsors who
provided additional resources for a memorable event, by staffing their exhibits,
sponsoring coffee breaks, supporting the ice breaker, appetizers and other
enjoyable, even magical activities:

Leica Geosystems
Trimble
Thales Navigation
Septentrio Satellite Navigation
SwissTopo,
Javad Navigation Systems

The official dinner on Wednesday evening was held at the Kursaal and was enjoyed
by all participants. The food was excellent and the magic show by Siderato (also
known as Prof. Dr. Peter Murner, Academic Director at the University of Bern),
tailored to the IGS gathering, was a real highlight of the evening!

IGS Governing Board Update
--------------------------
The Board met on Sunday 29 February, and also met for a summary session at the
close of the workshop, on Friday 5 March.  The GB welcomed Prof. Chris Rizos
from the University of New South Wales as an appointed member.   Prof. Markus
Rothacher, Technical University of Munich  and Dr. Jim Zumberge, NASA/JPL were
both re-elected as AC representatives  last December.  Jim Ray of NOAA/NGS
resigned his position as analysis representative effective at the end of 2003
and at the March GB meeting, the Board appointed Peng Fang of Scripps
Institution of Oceanography to fill the vacated position. Prof. Geoff Blewitt,
University of Nevada at Reno, was welcomed in 2003 as the IAG representative to
the GB. All terms are for four years. The current listing of the IGS GB is
included at the end of this message.